Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to baby bottles, and more particularly to an angled cap and vent that is attached between a baby bottle and a nipple.
2. Description of Related Art
The following art defines the present state of this field:
Brankley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,548, teaches an adjustable baby bottleneck for connecting a conventional baby bottle to a conventional rubber nipple through an angular or adjustable bottleneck portion. The angularly adjustable bottleneck portion may be set and fixed from an angle of 0 to 60 degrees and includes a mounting securing ring at one end for mating with the top of a standard nursing bottle and at the other end includes means for mating with a standard nipple.
Gomez-Acevedo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,425 teaches a nursing bottle which allows the intercommunication of at least two closed compartments to mix the contents thereof without any contact with the outside environment.
Chong, U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,042 teaches a handle which is in the shape of a hollow tube whereof one end engages onto a nipple and the other end is engageable to a mounting flange on the bottle top wherein it provides a junction of flexibility between the nipple and bottle.
Hunter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,027 teaches a child""s drinking cup or bottle, with the cup or bottle having a generally rigid cap upon which there is mounted a relatively soft drinking lip or teat. The cap can mount the teat at an angle.
B. Doner, U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,272 teaches a baby feeding bottle with an air bleeding means that does not flood with the fluid being used and thus eliminates the need to allow air to feed back to the nipple of the bottle during use.
W. G. Canham et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,467,463 teaches a novel and improved baby""s nursing unit of simple construction which is provided with automatic pressure equalizing means for providing a substantial continuous flow of fluid to the baby while nursing and wherein the baby may be fed with its head in a comfortable position.
G. C. Apple, U.S. Pat. No. 1,280,942 teaches a flanged cap constituting a cover for a drinking vessel such as a cup, glass or the like.
C. Borgenschild, U.S. Pat. No. 593,830 teaches the combination with a bottle, of a cap adapted to fit thereon and having an opening therethrough surrounded by an upwardly-projecting interiorly-screw-threaded thimble, and air-admitting openings exterior to the thimble.
J. A. Morris, U.S. Pat. No. 280,656 teaches a nipple made to hold a glass tube which extends downward to near the bottom of the bottle, and has a free gravitating movement adapted to any inclination of he bottle, the nipple at the same time being firmly secured to the bottle by an exterior flange or cap or by another portion of the nipple.
Brown et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,071, teaches an air venting system assembly that can be positioned within a bottle to enable air to vent into the bottle.
Giles et al., U.S. Des. Pat. No. 382,969 teaches a combined baby nurser and cap.
The prior art teaches baby bottles with angled or adjustable necks or caps. The prior art also teaches venting systems that vent air into the bottle. However, the prior art does not teach a combination angled cap and vent connecting a baby bottle with a nipple. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.
The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.
The present invention provides a combination angled cap and vent for connecting a baby bottle with a nipple. The combination includes an angled cap having an elbow shaped body, a proximal opening, and a distal opening. The proximal opening of the angled cap communicates with the distal opening so that liquid from the baby bottle is transmitted to the nipple. The elbow shaped body is shaped to maintain the proximal opening in non-coaxial alignment with the distal opening. The angled cap includes a means for removably connecting the proximal opening with the nipple and a means for removably connecting the distal opening with the baby bottle. The angled cap further includes a vent aperture through the angled cap adjacent the proximal opening. The combination further includes a vent tube having an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end being in fluid communication with the vent aperture, and the outlet end being positioned to extend upwardly through the distal opening. The vent tube includes a check valve means for allowing fluid flow from the inlet end to the outlet end, but preventing fluid flow from the outlet end to the inlet end.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide combination angled cap and vent for connecting a baby bottle with a nipple, the combination having advantages not taught by the prior art.
Another objective is to provide an angled cap that enables a baby to be held upright while feeding from the baby bottle, thereby maintaining the baby""s ear canal above his or her mouth and helping to prevent the baby from getting an ear infection.
A further objective is to provide a venting system that enables air to vent directly into the baby bottle through the vent and without bubbling through the fluid that the baby is drinking.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.